July 21, 2010

who are you for others?

We have direct influence over a fair number of people in our lives. Employees, coworkers, children, partners. Beyond, everyone within our circle, everyone who knows us or even, knows of us.
When you have a few moments, make a list of who is in your circle. The people who know you. You may be surprised to see how large your circle is. I would bet that in less than five minutes, you can easily generate a list of over 100 people.

When we think about what direct influence is, we typically think about what we have to say. Advice, opinion, discussions, conversations. It is easy to see how our words directly influence others. There is also the influence of our actions, what we do. Yet there is another way we influence that is less obvious. It is very powerful. It is the influence of who we are.
Think of someone you admire. Who is that person for you? Perhaps you like how calm they are in a crisis, or how they are always cheerful no matter what is going on in their life. Or perhaps you like that you can count on them to do what they said they would do.
If members of your circle did this exercise, what would they say about you? Who are you for the people in your life? Think about it for a bit. Then go ahead, ask a few people. And pay attention to what they say. Because who you are for others is where you are having a tremendous impact in your life.